Greens: Wanting real choice

The Green Party has launched its election campaign promising "the real choice for real change".

Keith Taylor, one of the party's two principal speakers, launched the bid for the party's first Westminster seats.

"The Green Party is the real choice for real change because Britain needs an new intelligent, radical, and compassionate vision for politics," he said.

"We need real change now on the pressing issues that face our society such as climate change and the power of big business.

"We need a politics and economics that puts people first and delivers real quality of life."

He said: "Labour will still win this election but every single green vote sends a message that the business as usual politics of Westminster is no longer good enough, it needs a thorough sorting out."

Although it has no MPs, the party is pointing to its representation in the UK's other elected bodies as proof that people want to "vote Green".

Westminster

While the first-past-the-post electoral system makes it extremely difficult for the party to win any constituencies, there are hopes that four or five MPs could be returned at the expected May 5 election.

"The Green Party won the seat of Brighton Pavilion in the European elections, pushing Labour into third place with 27 per cent of the vote," added Taylor.

"If the people of Brighton vote the same way again, they will elect the first Green MP to parliament, and once there the Green Party will change the face of parliamentary politics for good."

Scottish Greens co-leader Robin Harper, who opened the conference on Wednesday, insisted the party was setting the agenda.

"Green politics still leads the way at every level of public policy: energy, transport, international affairs, human rights, housing," he said.

In the Scottish parliament the Greens "point out the inconsistencies between the Lib/Lab executive's road building policies and their unsuccessful attempts to reduce road traffic", he added.

"Greens are also leading the campaign for zero waste and a GM crops liability bill."